Enrico Colantoni

The life story of French-Canadian pop diva Céline Dion is familiar enough to render itself almost iconic. The child of an economically strained family in Québec (with 13 brothers and sisters), Dion began to evince vocal artistry at age five, singing in the piano bar owned by her parents. At the age of 12, Dion both authored and sang her own original tune, "Ce N'était qu'un Rêve", which she recorded in a studio with assist from her parents; they promptly shipped the demo tape off to Euro music producer René Angelil, who - as soon as he heard it - reportedly mortgaged his house to finance Dion's first two albums, then aggressively helped Dion remake her physical image to turn her into an international pop star á la Michael Jackson. When followed by a win in the 1988 Eurovision song contest a series of blockbuster recordings (including the title track to Disney's Beauty and the Beast) the efforts indeed paid off by rocketing her to the status of one of the most popular - and obscenely lucrative - music acts in the history of the recording industry. In the mean time, she also fell in love with, then married, Angelil. As directed by Jeff Woolnough, the Canadian telemovie Céline presents a dramatization of the chanteuse's rise to glory; it was created without the participation, authorization or endorsement of Dion. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Fate brings together two mismatched travelers in this comedy. Sherman (Michael Shulman) is a tightly wound, career-obsessed college student whose mother Evelyn (Donna Murphy) is a successful politician who micromanages her own life as well as that of her son. Planning to spend a few weeks in Northern California with his girlfriend Marcy (Lacey Chabert), Sherman instead discovers that she's dumped him for another, more fun-loving guy; adding insult to injury, Sherman's wallet and credit cards have been stolen and Evelyn decides it's time to cut off his allowance. With few options and eager prove he can be free-spirited and self-reliant, Sherman decides to hitch-hike to Los Angeles for an internship interview, and takes a ride with the first person willing to take him down the coast. Sherman's ride turns out to be Palmer (James LeGros), a former Olympic skiing champion turned footloose middle-aged bohemian who is more interested in keeping his vintage convertible in tune than in getting anywhere at any specific time. While Sherman and Palmer have next to nothing in common, before long the younger man finds himself learning some lessons about life from the scruffy stranger behind the wheel. Sherman's Way was the first theatrical feature from producer turned director Craig Saavedra. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Season one of Veronica Mars finds both the title character (Kristen Bell) and her ex-sheriff father, Keith (Enrico Colantoni), regarded as lepers in the affluent community of Neptune -- and it's all because Keith made public his suspicion that Jake Kane (Kyle Secor), the town's richest man, killed his own daughter (and Veronica's best friend), Lilly (Amanda Seyfried). Hoping to find Lilly's murderer and redeem her father's reputation, 17-year-old Veronica assists Keith in his efforts to run a private detective agency -- and while in school, she tirelessly crusades for justice as a reporter for the student newspaper. Early in the season, Veronica finds herself with two loyal allies when she protects nerdy new kid Wallace (Percy Daggs III) from school bully Weevil (Francis Capra) -- and then, in the spirit of "fair and balanced" dispersion of justice, she clears Weevil from an unfounded charge of theft. Meanwhile, several of Veronica's fellow Neptunians display bizarre behavior suggesting that they know more about Lilly's death than they're willing to admit, notably Lilly's seriously disturbed brother, Duncan (Teddy Dunn), and his wealthy, arrogant best friend, Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring). Also, Veronica finds time to delve into the mystery of her mother, Lianne (Corinne Bohrer), who for apparently no reason had abandoned her family a year earlier. And all the while, Veronica does the "Nancy Drew" bit, 21st century style, using her acute detecting skills to restore shattered reputations, expose the dangers of cult worship, and gather vital clues pertinent to kidnappings, switched-at-birth cases, instances of alleged sexual harassment, and illegal fight clubs. The season ends with the episode "Leave It to Beaver," in which Veronica at long last has the opportunity to solve Lilly's murder -- but in so doing she may betray the trust of one near and dear to her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of a two-part story, peacekeepers in the Middle East unearth "The Black Heart," a lunar gemstone with awesome powers. It turns out that the stone is possessed by an evil alien spirit, bent on destroying everyone on earth. The Justice League is drawn into the story when Wonder Woman accidentally lays hands upon the Black Heart -- and immediately transforms from virtuous heroine to sinister villainess! ~ All Movie Guide

Described as a modern-day Hollywood version of Day for Night, director Steven Soderbergh's first digital video production was also shot employing a modified version of the frills-free Dogma 95 rules set forth by Lars Von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, allowing a relatively small budget of about two million dollars. Julia Roberts and Blair Underwood star, respectively, as Francesca and Calvin, actors performing in a motion picture directed by David Fincher and co-starring Brad Pitt (who play themselves). Woven in and out of the film production story thread are several other subplots including one about a lovelorn woman, Linda (Mary McCormack); the self-absorbed Gus (David Duchovny); and a husband, Carl (David Hyde Pierce), whose wife (Catherine Keener) is falling for Calvin. Described initially as a follow-up to Soderbergh's independent breakout hit, sex, lies and videotape, Full Frontal isn't a sequel in the strictest sense of the word and is only thematically related to the earlier film in its exploration of voyeurism and sexuality. The film also stars Brad Rowe, Enrico Colantoni, and Nicky Katt. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

David Sheridan, comic actor and star of MTV's Buzzkill, co-created this goofy comedy with debut screenwriter Mark Perez as the first in a two-picture deal with Disney. Frank McKlusky (Sheridan) is an insurance claims investigator who has been zealously safety conscious since witnessing a horrible motorcycle stunt gone awry in his childhood, an accident that left his father (Randy Quaid) comatose. Frank still lives at home under the watchful eye of his mother (Dolly Parton) and wears a helmet everywhere he goes. When his partner is killed, Frank is forced to leave his safe and secure life behind, go undercover, and crack the case, which he discovers is a sinister conspiracy. Unfortunately for the villains, Frank turns out to be a first-class bumbler in the Inspector Clouseau mold. Frank McKlusky, C.I. co-stars Kevin Pollak, Andy Richter, and Enrico Colantoni. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Based on the 1969 short story Super-Toys Last All Summer Long, by Brian Aldiss, this science fiction fantasy bears similarities to Pinocchio (1940) and originated as a long-gestating project of director Stanley Kubrick that passed to his friend Steven Spielberg after Kubrick's death. Haley Joel Osment stars as David, a "mecha" or robot of the future, when the polar ice caps have melted and submerged many coastal cities, causing worldwide starvation and human dependence upon robotic assistance. The first mecha designed to experience love, David is the "son" of Henry (Sam Robards), an employee of the company that built the boy, and the grief-stricken Monica (Frances O'Connor). David is meant to replace the couple's hopelessly comatose son, but when their natural child recovers, David is abandoned and sets out to become "a real boy" worthy of his mother's affection. Along the way, David is mentored by a pleasure-providing mecha named Gigolo Joe (Jude Law) and a talking "super toy" bear named Teddy. His adventures take him to the Roman Circus-style "Flesh Fair," where mechas are destroyed for the amusement of humans; Rouge City, where Gigolo Joe narrowly avoids capture by police; and finally a submerged New York City, where David's creator, Professor Hobby (William Hurt) reveals the secrets of the boy's creation. Brendan Gleeson and narrator Ben Kingsley co-star in A.I., which was adapted from Kubrick's treatment by Spielberg, in his first crack at screenwriting since Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

A team of intrepid adventurers travels through the outer reaches of the galaxy, each week finding excitement and adventure on Galaxy Quest! Or at least that's the way it was in the mid-1970s, when brave if reckless Captain Peter Quincy Taggart, lovely Lieutenant Tawny Madison, and inscrutable alien Dr. Lazarus were the leaders of an interstellar law enforcement team on the TV series of that name. Twenty years later, the show is still in reruns, and Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen), Gwen DeMarco (Sigourney Weaver), and Alexander Dane (Alan Rickman) prop up their sagging careers by making appearances at sci-fi conventions, where they grudgingly shake hands and give autographs for the show's socially inept following. However, it turns out that nerdy sci-fi fans aren't the only ones watching: somewhere in another solar system, a group of alien rebels living under a regime of violence and repression have picked up broadcasts of Galaxy Quest, and they aren't aware that it's fiction. They travel to Earth and encounter the Galaxy Quest cast, who figure that they're just another bunch of guys who like to dress funny. However, they soon realize that they're being hired not for another autograph-signing session but for a real-life outer space rescue mission. Galaxy Quest was directed by Dean Parisot, who had a background in TV directing before his theatrical debut with the dark comedy Home Fries. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This box set contains every episode from the first two seasons of the NBC situation comedy Just Shoot Me. Each is presented in the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1. English soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital Surround. Supplemental materials include commentary on a handful of episodes recorded by a variety of people involved in the show's production. A gallery of covers for the fictional magazine published on the show and a behind-the-scenes featurette round out this fine release from Columbia TriStar. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Actor Kevin Spacey made his directorial debut with this thriller. Dova (Matt Dillon), Milo (Gary Sinise), and Law (William Fichtner) are three small-time crooks on the run after a botched robbery of a New Orleans warehouse led to a car chase, causing the death of two cops. Needing a place to hide, with Milo seriously injured, they sneak into Dino's Last Chance Bar, a shot-and-a-beer joint located on a side street in a basement. Before long, the bar is surrounded by a squadron of Federal agents and SWAT officers. The three robbers are convinced that the cops are trying to flush them out, but it turns out that they aren't the only crooks in search of a cold beer at Dino's. Smart-suited Guy (Viggo Mortensen) is actually an international dealer in illegal arms that the cops were trailing when they stumbled across the robbery gone wrong. As police negotiator Browning (Joe Mantegna) tries to get the bad guys to come out peacefully, the bar's patrons -- pool shooting Danny (Skeet Ulrich), aging beauty Janet (Faye Dunaway), and boozehound Jack (John Spencer) -- beg for mercy as Dova hatches a scheme that involves killing Guy and all the patrons. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A threatening phone call leads to censure proceedings against Joel Thayer (David Groh), a prominent New York judge. When the case arrives at the office of D.A. Adam Schiff (Steven Hill), his subordinate Claire Kincaid (Jill Hennessy) surprises him by resigning. It seems that Kincaid once clerked for Judge Thayer -- and there is talk that a romance developed, one that may have been decidedly (and injuriously) one-sided. Future Malcolm in the Middle star Jane Kaczmarek appears as Janet Rudman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide